Our Big Brother
by Haruka-Oneechan
Summary: Sequel to WaiiKitsune's My Little Brothers. The roles have changed. A year later, Tsuna found out that even the strongest of people is still susceptible to weaknesses. The Sun's rays were blocked and suffering so the Sky has to do whatever he could to make its rays shine upon them once more. One-shot. Please read and review.


A/N: Hello everyone! Now, this is a sequel to WaiiKitsune's My Little Brothers. I really liked the story and wanted to see a sequel where the roles changed so this fic was created.

This fic was edit and beta-ed by the lovely Jasmin-Liertha. She basically made the story much more enjoyable and bearable to read. Bear with me if the characters are OOC. The ending might be odd or weird since I suck at writing them (part of the reason most of the fics I wrote was never finished)

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Belongs to Akira Amano-sensei

**Rating: **T for a few words in there

**Dedicated to: **WaiiKitsune

**Notes:** Usually when I read about nightmares, high fevers can trigger them. Also, this is the first time I wrote about someone who has a fever over forty degrees Celsius so the symptoms and his reactions may or may not be accurate.

* * *

Tsuna stared out the window at the dreary sky. The bright blue sky of an hour before seemed like a dream chased away by the dark clouds now looming over the horizon. In the far distance, thunder rumbled and lightning split the sky, illuminating the area for a brief moment before shadows once more consumed the expanse. Faint spluttering sounds drifted inside through thick glass panes as the rain tapped out a rhythm against the window.

_Pitter, patter, pitter, patter_

On a normal day, Tsuna would find the rain soothing, coaxing him to relax and reflect within his mind, as if Mother Nature was forcing him to pause (from paperwork, usually) and just take a deep breath. He would usually stare at the way the small droplets of water left trails as they rolled down the dark glass like tears. Sometimes, he would simply listen to the thunder crackling amidst the wind and rain.

Today was not a normal day. No, today the rain mocked him, _pitter patter _laughing at his misery. The wind howled at him—at his stupidity, his ignorance, and really, what kind of boss was he? Promising to protect his friends, and yet he was failing one of them already... not to the enemy's bullet, but to an illness, even.

_I'm an idiot. And a failure._

His eyes flicked over to the black curtain draped over the sky, mocking every occupant of the mansion, pointing out how weak the sun was, its warm rays blocked and suffering.

Like his own Sun.

The first sign Tsuna had noticed was the bit of a flush on his cheeks, as if from fever. That was two days ago, right after Ryohei's strict training regime (morning jogs and boxing practices), so he'd equated it to his body's reaction after the physically demanding exercise.

At lunch, as they ate together in the dining hall, he'd eaten less than usual. He'd claimed that he had eaten snacks before coming to lunch. Dinner, no appetite, he'd said.

Tsuna could only growl at his incompetence for lapping all the excuses up without further questioning.

Then the yells of 'extreme' had become sporadic at best, and nonexistent at worst. Between the paperwork and the stress of the Carpanola Famiglia that had dug up an old feud, Tsuna had been _grateful_ for it at first; no yelling equals to no headaches and more focus on dealing with the spawns of hell disguised in the form of paper, he'd thought, of all things—!

_I was a complete moron to ignore that!_

Closing his eyes, for a moment all he wanted was to burn down the Carpanola Famiglia, the bunch of power hungry fools they were. _If it wasn't for them and their infuriating pettiness, this wouldn't have happened_.

But that wasn't true, was it? He was just fooling himself now. It had been his fault entirely. The Carpanola was just the distraction, not the cause. He was the one that had seen all the little tells that something was wrong, but he'd deemed the meetings and paperwork more important.

Put a truce with a growing bunch of stubborn revenge-driven idiots over his guardian's wellbeing? What a laughable idea, he would've confidently said, before this happened. After all their time fighting together, laughing together, crying together, he treasured them more than anything. More than Vongola.

But he'd done exactly that.

Tsuna expelled a heavy sigh, gazing at his stack of paperwork through half lidded eyes glazed over from worry and fatigue. He leaned back against his comfy leather chair as the storm outside rose a few notches. Lips set in a tight line and brows furrowed in concern, the man looked older than his actual age.

He was tired, physically and mentally. Today's events were still fresh in his mind, occupying it and generally being the only thing that his brain would focus on. All other thoughts were buried in the deep recesses of his mind, giving full access to the unpleasant memory of watching his Sun Guardian collapse.

* * *

The Decimo had been briefing Ryohei on his latest mission, not even looking up from his paperwork as he signed documents at a furious pace. He was so immersed in it that he failed to notice Ryohei's sluggish movements as he entered the office, nor the rapid breathing and the way he swayed on the spot.

"Now, you have to—"A loud thud interrupted Tsuna, finally making him look up to see what his Sun Guardian had done. Except he was not there.

He was in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Hazel brown eyes drew wide in shock and Tsuna had never moved faster in his life.

_"Onii-san!"_

His yell was loud enough to alert Gokudera and Yamamoto, who were in the latter's office not far from Tsuna's, and they came rushing in with their weapons drawn, body and mind in full alert to face the cause of their boss's distress.

They were met with the sight of Tsuna on the floor, cradling Ryohei's head on his lap. The boxer's breathing was laboured, the flush on his face highlighting his crop of white hair.

No words needed to be exchanged as Gokudera instantly went to Tsuna's side; Yamamoto had already disappeared within the halls of the mansion to grab the proper medical supplies.

Since Ryohei was more muscle-bound, he was heavier than both he and Gokudera. Being unconscious certainly didn't help but they eventually managed to carry him towards his room and placed him on his bed. Then they had to change Ryohei into something lighter.

As they rummaged through his closet, a soft groan was heard and steel gray eyes fluttered open.

"Onii-san!" Tsuna exclaimed, rushing to his side. Gokudera grabbed a simple white t-shirt and sweatpants, fetching a thermometer from the medical cabinet in the bathroom as well before going over to the bed.

"T-Tsu-na?" Ryohei mumbled softly.

"Hai, Onii-san," Tsuna replied back, briefly squeezing Ryohei's hand before grabbing the thermometer from Gokudera. He gently pushed it under Ryohei's tongue and they waited for the thermometer to do its work.

_Beep. _Gokudera swiftly took out the thermometer from the boxer's mouth. Green eyes squinted to see the numbers on the small screen.

"Forty point two degrees… That's a high fever…," Gokudera announced, frowning deeply in concern.

A weak chuckle. "No w-wonder—" a few hacking coughs, "—I f-feel unextreme..," Despite his condition, Ryohei was still trying to lighten the mood. Tsuna quirked a small smile at his attempt. It was at that moment that Yamamoto burst in, surprisingly with Lambo trailing behind him, their arms full with the necessary supplies.

The young Bovino dumped the contents on a nearby table before standing next to Tsuna. His eyes widened in panic at seeing his big brother looking so frail and weak.

"Ryo-nii!" Lambo cried out, traces of moisture shimmering around his eyes.

"L-Lambo," he murmured, giving the teen a weak smile. "D-Don't worry a-about your Ryo-nii..," A few deep coughs caused him to lose his breath for a moment, his chest rapidly heaving as his eyes scrunched shut with pain.

"Onii-san, don't talk," Tsuna ordered, already in the process of removing Ryohei's suit jacket. Ryohei opened his mouth to speak but Tsuna beat him to the punch.

"Ryo-nii, _hush_," he stated sternly.

Ryohei closed his mouth, eyes blinking slowly as he grasped what had been said. Soon, a wry smile sprawled on his lips.

"O-Our roles c-changed huh?" At that simple statement, Tsuna froze for a moment, his thought instantly wandering to last year's incident. He worked silently, pulling the jacket off with minimal effort. Three of them started to strip the Sun Guardian down to his boxers while Yamamoto went to get a bowl with cold water.

When he came back, he dipped a washcloth into the bowl, wringing it before mopping Ryohei's brow. A heartfelt sigh puffed out from the boxer's dry lips.

"Did that feel good?" Yamamoto asked, dipping the cloth once more and rubbing it over the flushed cheeks, down his neck and across his collarbone. He wetted the cloth again and cooled down Ryohei's chest with a handful of brisk strokes.

Thankfully, his face looked less wrought in pain and Lambo and Gokudera helped him into the fresh clothes. It was a bit of a task, seeing as the boxer was half dead and protested weakly every few seconds but they somehow managed. They laid him back down, Lambo covering him with the bed cover. Yamamoto applied a wet cloth over his forehead, adjusting it until it sat comfortably above his fevered brows.

"Get some rest Onii-san. We'll check on you later with medicine and some food," Tsuna instructed softly, a sense of déjà vu washing over him.

Something that they interpreted as a nod was given. They left the room as quietly as possible, the Sky and Lighting lingering for a brief moment before closing the door.

* * *

That was over six hours ago.

"Onii-san..," Tsuna muttered softly, the sound drowned out by the crack of lighting that struck the earth outside. Throughout the day he had felt the cold shackles of guilt gripping at his heart like a vice, squeezing it for all it was worth.

Reborn had forced him to continue his work, despite Tsuna's protests. He knew he still had to figure out how to get that truce with the Carpanola. He knew the risks, the war that could result from this. The Vongola had enemies. Enemies with grudges, carried and nurtured, melding to their roots. Always looking, always searching for opportunities to chip away at Vongola's wealth and power... The Carpanola was just a small pawn but—

One move from them and _hell would_ _fall_.

He knew it, Carpanola knew it. And they knew he didn't want a war. That was why they had refused every single truce offer sent their way. _Smart bastards_, Gokudera called them.

The paperwork sitting on his desk reminded him of the danger. He needed to finish it. Carpanola's sightings, spy messages—Carpanola's weak spot could be in there.

Quite honestly, Reborn was pretty pissed off that Tsuna neglected to look out for his subordinates, especially his own Guardian. Reborn gave him hell for ignoring his own damn intuition. _When your intuition flares up, always expect that something is wrong__._

Then he'd torn him away from Ryohei's bed and told him to do his work before he ended up making the situation with Carpanola blow up in their faces.

Reborn, in his own twisted but strangely comforting way, had assured him that his Sun Guardian was in utmost care by his other Guardians (not Shamal, unfortunately; he was still missing since his last women-hunting excursion in Spain, the old womanizer). Even so...

He raked his fingers through his wild, unkempt brown mane, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips. He just had to see how Ryohei was doing with his own eyes or else his guilt ridden conscious would drive him completely insane.

Nothing was more important than his Famiglia.

Gritting his teeth, Tsuna made his decision. Screw his damn work and go to hell with Reborn! He would deal with the consequences of his actions tomorrow, after he was certain that Ryohei would be alright.

* * *

Once he had changed out of his stuffy suit into much comfier clothes, Tsuna exited his room quietly, closing the door behind with a soft click. The storm roared fiercely outside, briefly reminding the man of a caged animal desperately trying to break free. The Decimo walked briskly towards his Sun Guardian's room, absentmindedly greeting the staff that kept the Vongola Mansion in tip top condition when they crossed paths.

_Just around this corner and—_

Tsuna's reflexes kicked in, stopping just in time before he collided with another figure. His eyes quickly locked with the dazzling emerald green eyes of his youngest Guardian. The eyes widened in surprise; clearly Lambo did not expect to bump in to Tsuna of all people.

Stupidera? Yes. His Tsuna-nii? No.

"Tsuna-nii? Don't you have work? What are you doing here?" Lambo asked.

Deflect a question with another question, Reborn taught him years ago. "I should say the same thing about you. Aren't you supposed to be in bed right now?"

The teen clearly looked like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Fidgeting under Tsuna's stern gaze, Lambo scratched his head lightly.

"I…um…," the Lighting Guardian stammered, shooting a glance at Ryohei's room.

Tsuna caught the glance and his demeanour softened. "You're worried about Ryo-nii, aren't you?"

Lambo nodded his head quickly.

"Ryo-nii was always the one who made Lambo feel better when Tsuna-nii was not here. Like last year, when Lambo got sick, Ryo-nii took care of me all night long and…and I want to do the same for Ryo-nii," Lambo finished, this time his eyes were full of silent resolve that burned brightly.

A tense silence fell upon them, Tsuna contemplating his next actions while Lambo waited for his answer. The brunette stared the young Bovino down, yet Lambo matched his gaze defiantly.

Finally, Tsuna let out a defeated sigh.

"Alright. How about we both do it together?" His answer was a determined nod. Walking towards Ryohei's room, Tsuna pushed open the door slowly and poked his head inside.

Good. No one was in the room and Ryohei was fast asleep.

The duo entered quietly, making sure to close the door behind them. Lambo instantly went to Ryohei's side while Tsuna grabbed a couple of chairs for the long night ahead.

'_At least he ate some food and meds,_' Tsuna thought when he noticed the half empty bowl of soup and a bottle of Tylenol on the night stand. Dragging the chairs to the side of the bed, Lambo sat down while Tsuna took the lukewarm cloth off Ryohei's forehead and wetted it again, placing it gently on Ryohei's sweaty forehead.

He sat down and leaned back against the chair, letting his thoughts wander to what would lie ahead. The night was still young, anything could happen later.

His intuition was bet on it.

* * *

_It's too hot._

Endless darkness greeted Ryohei when he first opened his eyes. He took a moment to recollect his thoughts, jumbled up as they were in his foggy subconscious. Except there were no thoughts for him to recollect, rather, he could barely think anything.

He didn't know whether he was standing or floating above nothingness. He was slowly coming to the terms that no light could enter this place. The air was musty; Ryohei wrinkled his nose at the stench that crept into his nostrils. The temperature was like being inside a furnace.

_Where am I? Where's everyone else!?_

It was then that he felt it. His limbs turned to lead, making him crash onto the ground—it was solid alright—unceremoniously. The heat increased dramatically; Ryohei swore that fire itself was licking him, burning his body from the inside out.

He felt as though he was going to burst into flames.

_Ring~ Ring~ **Ring~**_

The sudden ringing blasted into his ears, the frequency increasing rapidly. He cried out in pain when one ring exploded near his eardrums.

_Make it stop, make it stop, **PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!**_

It disappeared as sudden as its appearance. Silence once again fell upon him, broken quickly by quiet sobs. He was confused, hurt and lonely. Where was he? Where was his Family? Kyoko? Lambo? Gokudera? Yamamoto?

Tsuna?

Clacks of shoes caught his attention. Looking up, he could see a blurred figure walking up towards him. Ryohei rapidly blinked his eyes, trying to clear his vision from the stream of tears.

Suddenly he wished that his vision was still blurry as Ryohei saw one of the scariest faces he had ever seen in his life.

The figure had a face but it was mangled beyond repair. One of its eyes was missing; the other looked like a squashed piece of grape. Its nose was crooked in more ways than one. The mouth was smiling at him, teeth chipped but razor sharp. The figure had no body; only a dried up piece of heart, ribs surrounding what was probably the lungs and a dangling arm, kept in place on the rib cage with only some pieces of skin.

The clacks he heard were not actually shoes at all. It was the sound of the ax that it carried, thumping up and down as it floated towards him.

Panic seized him completely as the ax slowly rose above his head, the figure's smile turning downright crazy.

He screamed when the ax swung down.

* * *

Tsuna woke up to the sound of strangled screams.

Bolting up from his chair, the first sight that met his eyes was his Sun Guardian thrashing about, sheets twisting around his body like a vengeful snake. Lambo had already grabbed his shoulders, trying to shake him awake.

"Ryo-nii!" he shouted. "Ryo-nii!"

But the man continued to thrash and scream, coughing every few seconds. The screaming then turned to gasping. He coughed and gasped so much that Tsuna feared he would stop breathing altogether.

"Onii-san! Please wake up! Onii-san!" Tsuna screamed, willing his surrogate older brother to open his eyes.

Seconds, hours ticked by, and Ryohei's eyes snapped open, bloodshot and glazed over from the fever. He shot up, his head almost colliding with Lambo, and scurried into the far recesses of his bed until he hit the wall.

Like a wild animal. Tsuna's heart clenched. He had to calm Ryohei down. _Now._

He pulled Ryohei into a hug.

Ryohei struggled in his hold, his mind still swimming in the depths of delirium. Tsuna could feel the heat radiating from Ryohei, burning into his own skin. He shifted so he could hug the boxer more comfortably.

"Shhh… It's alright Onii-san. You're okay. Everyone's safe… Shhh…," Tsuna gently soothed. With his left hand, he lightly ran his fingers through sweat-slicked white strands, gently rubbing Ryohei's scalp like Okaa-san always did to him when he woke up from a nightmare as a child.

Tsuna briefly stopped his ministrations when a hesitant voice began singing. Turning, he saw his youngest Guardian concentrating, his eyes closed, the lines of his throat strained as he sounded out pitches it was not used to. Tsuna smiled, recognizing the lullaby as the one Kyoko taught him. The lullaby Kyoko and Ryohei created when they were children.

The soft, sweet melody danced across the room, the small tremors in Lambo's voice diminishing nothing from the free, light-spirited atmosphere it created. Tsuna closed his eyes, burying his face in Ryohei's hair and let his world fade away into the sweet melody and the soothing words he was murmuring in Ryohei's ears.

Minutes passed, and finally Ryohei slackened, weight dropping onto his arms. Tsuna bore it, opening his eyes and pulling back a small distance to smile into Ryohei's eyes. He looked better than before, thankfully. His eyes were still unfocused, but his breathing had returned to normal at least.

"Alright Onii-san, how about you go back to sleep? You need your rest if you want to recover faster," Tsuna gently ordered, shifting back slightly to give him more space. Ryohei weakly shook his head.

"N-no..," he rasped. "D-don't want…t-to sleep…"

Tsuna frowned slightly at his refusal. It was to be expected but he really needed his rest to ward off the sickness.

"Ryo-nii, you need to rest," Lambo tried next but he received the same answer. It seemed that he still retained that stubborn personality even if he was weakened several times over.

It was obvious that exhaustion was taking over him, though. Ryohei's eyes slowly slid shut before they snapped open again as Ryohei forced his body to stay awake. Willpower could only go so far, though, and soon his body would succumb to the rest it desperately craved. So Tsuna repeated his request over and over, until the protests weakened, and Lambo could gently push the boxer down onto the mattress without much effort. They watched as Ryohei struggled weakly.

"Onii-san, you have to rest," Tsuna repeated once more.

"N-no…" But his eyes were already closed, no longer able to fight off the exhaustion. Lambo pulled out the washcloth that had fallen into the bowl of water on the table stand, twisting the excess water out, and placed it on Ryohei's forehead, smoothing the strain between his brows away.

Tsuna watched with a soft, sad smile. "I hope you get better soon, Onii-san."

* * *

Gokudera Hayato was not in a good mood.

After the incident yesterday, Gokudera had to watch his precious boss pace around in his office, muttering his worries before Reborn-san persuaded him to leave Ryohei's care in the hands of his Guardians. That stupid cow had locked himself in his room, Hibari had disappeared to who knows where and Chrome was away on a mission, scheduled to arrive back this evening.

That left him with the sword freak.

After much arguing and grumbling (mostly by Gokudera), they established some sort of agreement. Yamamoto would go care for the ailing Turf Top while Gokudera would handle his work. Gokudera thought that it was a good system, that is, till he received the additional stacks of paperwork that was clearly untouched. The ones that were half finished were written in such an atrocious handwriting that he had to redo it all from scratch.

Gokudera swore violently.

If that wasn't bad enough, he found out earlier that Jyuudaime and Lambo was up all night in the boxer's room, taking care of him so now they were resting (until Reborn-san wakes them up of course) He wanted to yell at the sword freak for leaving the task to Jyuudaime but he was out on an unexpected mission after he fed Ryohei yesterday.

With Jyuudaime and the stupid cow resting plus the sword freak out, that left _him _to bring the invalid food and meds.

Great.

Gokudera scowled at the incredulous looks he was receiving from the butlers and maids. It was not often one saw the silverette stomping down the hallways while carrying a bowl of soup. His glare quickly scared them away, continuing whatever work they were doing before.

Still, even with all his mental swearing towards him, Gokudera was concerned for the Turf Top. For all the years they had known each other, he had never seen the boxer ill, not even a simple cold. He was always energetic, arguing with him almost on a daily basis. It seemed like nothing would ever get through his steel immune system.

This just proved that even the strongest of bodies was still susceptible to weaknesses.

Sighing, he opened the door quietly; the sound of deep breathing came from the lump on the bed. He strode to the other side of the room, grabbing the thermometer he left on the table yesterday. He placed the bowl on the night stand before drawing the curtains open slightly, letting in small rays of light.

Now to wake up Turf Top.

"Oi. Wake up." Gokudera shook his shoulder, earning him a small groan but no further indication that he would wake up. He bit back a growl. "Wake up idiot. It's time to eat." He shook a bit more roughly this time. Gokudera watched as Ryohei groaned once more but now it was accompanied by heavy eyelids trying to pry open.

He watched silently as Ryohei returned back to the land of living, eyes blinking slowly to rid themselves from sleep. After a good minute, he finally turned to see the person who was so intent on waking him up. His eyes locked with Gokudera's for a brief moment.

"I **m-must** be h-hallucinating," Ryohei croaked. Gokudera blinked once before scowling deeply.

He'd worried over this idiot for nothing.

"You're hell wrong if you think this is a hallucination. Now sit up and take your damn temperature," Gokudera barked. Ryohei's eyes widened before he slowly pushed himself up, leaning back tiredly against the headboard. Gokudera restrained himself from shoving the thermometer into his mouth.

While waiting for the telltale beep, the Storm Guardian grabbed the bottle of Tylenol and shook out a couple of pills, placing it next to the glass of water.

_Beep. _"Thirty nine point three degrees… Almost a degree lower, but still pretty high…," Gokudera murmured to himself. Turning back, he saw the boxer's eyelids had drooped.

"Sleep later. Eat now." He placed the bowl of soup on an over bed table. Ryohei tried to hold the spoon properly but he couldn't stop his hands from trembling. After he almost dropped the spoon, Gokudera let out a sigh.

"Give me that." He pulled the spoon out of Ryohei's grasp, removing the over bed table in the process. He stirred the spoon in the bowl of soup before lifting a spoonful up, blowing on it to cool it down.

Ryohei stared inquisitively at the spoon that Gokudera held in front of his mouth.

Gokudera's eyes met him, annoyed. "Just eat."

He complied by opening his mouth, sipping the soup cautiously. The silent routine continued on until the bowl was half finished.

Ryohei shook his head weakly, indicating that he was full. Gokudera left the spoon in the bowl, placing it on the table. Grabbing the pills that he shook out earlier, he gave the pills with the glass of water to the man. After he swallowed them, Gokudera took the glass and put it near the bowl.

Now that he had some food in him, Ryohei shuffled under the bed covers, eyes already drooping closed. Gokudera replaced the cool cloth, fiddling with a few of his hair strands. After he made sure that he was comfortable, Gokudera grabbed the bowl and headed out.

"Get well soon Turf Top," he murmured before closing the door.

* * *

It took another four days for Ryohei to make a full recovery. During that time, most of the Guardians visited him when they had the time, spoon-fed him when he was still weak, or just kept him entertained with their stories.

Tsuna had apologized profusely every time he visited him, and Ryohei tirelessly assured him that it was not his fault. He should have extremely realized his body's own limit and maybe he had pushed himself too far this time.

When he was feeding him that one time, Reborn had slammed his door open, looking positively livid and literally dragged the kicking and screaming Decimo back to his work. A moment later, Chrome entered his room and resumed the task of feeding him. When asked about it, she merely said that she saw Boss and heard that Ryohei was sick.

She was very gentle and caring, asking him if he needed anything else. She even gave him a drink of some sorts, claiming that it would help him recover faster. An old wives' cure, she mentioned. Afterwards, she suddenly took out a child's story book and proceeded to read it to him. At the odd look that she was receiving, Chrome told him that this was so he could go to sleep easier, something that Chikusa once told her.

Seeing that she was quite serious about reading it to him and the sincerity of wanting him to rest comfortably, he listened quietly to the tale, something about chocolates before her light and sweet tone made him drift off to the Land of Nod.

Ryohei swore on the holy greatness of boxing that he once saw a familiar yellow puff ball perched on one of the branches outside his window. It seemed to have a little camera off all things around its neck. When he furiously rubbed his eyes to make sure that it was not one of those blasted hallucinations, the puff ball was gone.

He grinned like an idiot at the thought of Hibari of all people to be worried about him. Not in person but still sending Hibird to check up on him. At least all those times he pestered the skylark for those sake-drinking-bonding times were starting to pay off. Maybe he should bring a good quality sake to his place when he was better...

Lambo frequently visited him, telling him stories about his day or gossips that he heard through the grapevine (he's spending _way _too much time with the maids lately). Yamamoto also came whenever he could, suggesting all sorts of traditional medicine his pops once made him try (from the normal ones to the _how-can-anyone-survive-that?_ ones). I-Pin came by from time to time, bringing with her medicinal ramen that Uncle Kawahira gave him along with his best wishes. To be quite frank, the ramen tasted like something died was added in there but as to not hurt the girl's feelings, he valiantly ate it till the very last drop and when she was gone, threw it all up in the bathroom.

Tsuna had almost suffered a heart attack when he stumbled upon one of his retching episodes.

The three inventors dropped by at separate times one time. Giannini gave him his best wishes and a get well card that Ryohei was too suspicious to open (it was not his fault that the last birthday card he gave him blew confetti to his face with enough force to knock him out) Shoichi also gave him a get well card and was nice enough to safely dispose of Giannini's card. Spanner's was a bit different. Rather than a card, he gave him an assortment of medicinal lollipops that he invented and had a mini Mosca shove one into his mouth.

It actually tasted quite good, that is, till the horrible bitter aftertaste kicked in. Spanner took notes for making improvements to the lollipop while he was coughing and spluttering. Making him an unwilling guinea pig or genuine concern for his health, he would never know.

Octopus Head actually came by one evening, grumbling and muttering under his breath. He was unusually tense, actual concern and fear in his eyes. They flicked from side to side cautiously, Ryohei watching the odd actions quietly (something was definitely wrong if he just came there and not start an argument) Two minutes later, the door slammed open to reveal Octopus Head's older sister and her dreaded Poison Cooking. Ryohei blanched at the purple blob that looked even more deadlier than usual, wiggling on a plate and paled considerably at the thought of having to eat it.

He was just getting better and now there was a definite chance of him getting sicker or maybe lapsing into a coma._  
_

Octopus Head must have thought so too because he made the ultimate sacrifice. He actually grabbed the plate faster than Bianchi could react and **_slammed _**his head into it. Three seconds later, he was on the ground, twitching and clutching his stomach. Bianchi, seeing that her food for him was ruined and Octopus Head looking like his life was slipping away fast, picked up the silverette and left the room, promising him that she would be back with a new plate later.

He had survived, for now. Ryohei prayed for Octopus's Head well being and would never forget this act of self sacrifice. He promised that if the bomber survived, he would try and not call him Octopus Head _too _much.

Ryohei was ecstatic when his Master came to visit. The blonde and his trigger happy wife heard about his condition so they dropped by (quite literally) on the roof of the mansion and entered through the window commando style at the middle of the night. His reflexes were affected so he was extremely glad that it was Colonello's rifle that was aimed at his head rather than an enemy's. His Master promised that he had set up one hell of a training course back at Mafia Land for him to go through when he's in tip top condition.

The most surprising (and disturbing) visit was from the Varia. The image of Lussuria with lipstick inches from his face when he woke up would forever be engraved in his mind. Ryohei bet on his boxing pride that it was a manly yell rather than a girly scream that sent Tsuna barreling into his room moments later. It was the fever that made him passed out, really. "I heard that a kiss would make him recover faster," from Lussuria had nothing to do with it.

The best visit of all was from his precious little sister and his now confirmed girlfriend. It seemed that on the day that he collapsed, Kyoko had called to check up on him. When he didn't answer, she called Sawada. His inability to lie to her made her take the first flight to Italy along with Hana, who was worried but hid it better than Kyoko. Still, it was quite awkward to have her crying on his sweat soaked shirt when she first entered here, him giving her reassurance that he was just sick with a high fever rather than a life threatening illness.

After she was positively convinced that he was not going to keel over and die anytime soon, they had caught up about what was going on in their lives. Ryohei was in his final year in university and Kyoko was happily studying to be a business woman so she can work at one of Vongola's business branches (the ones that hid the _other _businesses underneath) Hana was still her strict and lovingly beautiful self but she was really nice to him, bringing him her home made soup.

When Kyoko offered to take the bowl to the kitchen, Hana had finally told him her worries. Then they had officially crossed the line of friends to lovers when she kissed him passionately on his lips. Not a good move, considering that he was still sick and he didn't want her to catch it, he told her but she told him to shut up before round two commenced.

Again, it was the fever that made him passed out rather than the lack of oxygen or the pure intensity of the kiss. When he regained consciousness, he told the worried Decimo that had heard about his fainting to prepare for a wedding in the near future with a stupid grin on his face.

The fever finally broke around the evening before and he was up and about by morning. Ryohei had gone through a morning check up at the infirmary and was given a clean bill of health.

After he exited the infirmary, the first place he went to was Tsuna's office.

"Come in," Tsuna called out when he heard knocking.

Ryohei opened the door and poked his head in, grinning all the while. "Sawada! How are you extremely doing?"

The brunette perked up at the sound of his Sun Guardian's voice, smiling widely as he gestured for the man to come in.

"Onii-san! How are you feeling?" Tsuna asked as Ryohei strode towards his desk.

"I'm extremely fine now Sawada! I did a check up and extremely got a clean bill of health!" Ryohei grinned.

"That's great news Onii-san! Still, we don't want the risk of a relapse happening so I won't give you any missions for a few days," The Decimo said, his tone left no room for arguments.

Ryohei stood there, smiling widely before his expression changed to one of uncharacteristic shyness. He scratched the band aid on his nose (he immediately placed one before he left the infirmary; it completes his image) and looked down, suddenly finding the stain of dried blood on the carpet to be extremely fascinating.

Tsuna stopped his signing when silence descended upon him. Looking up, he could see that dreaded redness on Ryohei's cheeks returning. Fearing that he was not completely better, Tsuna stood up and circled around his desk towards his surrogate older brother.

"Are you sure you're okay Onii-san?" Tsuna asked concern clearly evident in his tone. His voice snapped Ryohei from further observing the stain (he bet that it came from Hibari and Mukuro's fight rather than Gokudera and Yamamoto's; the former were more violent and physical rather than the latter)

"I-I'm extremely fine Sawada!" Even though Tsuna's eyes shone with worry, they still had that _don't-you-dare-lie-to-me _look that was feared among every single person in the mansion (except for Reborn but he doesn't count. Plus, who knows what his reactions are since his eyes are always obscured by that fedora of his) They knew that when he had that look, you must obey.

He let out a sigh. "I'm just…I mean, I extremely felt like I was being…a burden these past few days." There, he admitted it. That kind of thinking was certainly frowned upon but guilt was still lingering somewhere inside his heart. His fellow Guardians did his work, took care of him, and made sure he took his medicine.

That was his responsibility. He was chosen as Tsuna's Sun Guardian for a reason and can't help but feel that he failed to carry out his duties…

Then, quite suddenly, Tsuna threw himself into the unsuspecting Sun Guardian's arms.

Out of all the possible reactions, this was the furthest thing from his mind.

"H-hey Sawada...," Ryohei felt unsure on what to do with the additional bundle in his arms.

"Don't you ever dare to think yourself as a burden," Tsuna mumbled, loud enough for the boxer to hear. The brunette looked up, his locks of untameable brown hair caressed Ryohei's chin.

"You're my family. The big brother I never had when I was young. You're always there for us but you're still human. Once in a while, roles…can change," Tsuna finished.

Ryohei quietly contemplated his words before wrapping his arms around the shorter male to hug him back.

"I guess you're extremely right Tsuna." Ryohei smiled as Tsuna burrowed deeper in his arms. He closed his eyes, feeling warmth and comfort radiating from his younger brother. They stayed like that for a few more seconds (he thought that he heard the door open) before Tsuna unwrapped his arms.

"So…," Ryohei started, a cheeky grin on his face. "Does that mean I'm extremely the_ otouto_ now?"

Tsuna laughed, shaking his head affectionately. "Nope. You are and always will be my _Onii-san."_

* * *

"Now, now Hayato. We don't want to disturb them do we?" Yamamoto asked good-naturedly, dragging the thrashing Gokudera away with his hand over the bomber's mouth.

Incomprehensible snarling was his answer.

* * *

A/N: There! That's finally finished! I hope that you have enjoyed the fic. Reviews and constructive criticism is highly appreciated. Ja ne~


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